An early usage of the word bogatyr was recorded in
Sernitskiy's book "Descriptio veteris et novae Poloniae cum
divisione ejusdem veteri et nova," printed in 1585 in an
unknown location, in which he says, "Rossi… de heroibus suis,
quos Bohatiros id est semideos vocant, aliis persuadere
conantur."

Bylinas prominently feature
stories about these heroes, as do several chronicles. Some of
bogatyrs are presumed to be historical figures, while others, like
giant Sviatogor, are purely fictional and
possibly descend from Slavic pagan mythology.